Who else love winter camping?

raggie33

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ty today it was 28 cansietrs for 30 bucks way cheaper then camping stores
 
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Kestrel

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Just so you know, those butane canisters essentially don't work below 50deg F.

I did a writeup on stove fuels in my thread here:
 

raggie33

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Just so you know, those butane canisters essentially don't work below 50deg F.

I did a writeup on stove fuels in my thread here:
ive read the newer stoves use the heat fromn stove to keep cansiter warm not sure if mine does thou
 

TPA

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My idea of camping is staying at a Fairfield Inn / Courtyard by Marriott.

I don't understand traditional camping. Having to procure gear, lug the gear, set up the gear...all to be uncomfortable and eat poor quality food. The restroom situation when camping is often dreadful. I'll take the hotel route.

Even when planning for hurricanes, it's not good enough to just survive the storm; I'm looking to maintain the same quality of life as close to normal as I can. Typically this means normal lamps, partial aircon, proper meals, etc.
 

raggie33

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My idea of camping is staying at a Fairfield Inn / Courtyard by Marriott.

I don't understand traditional camping. Having to procure gear, lug the gear, set up the gear...all to be uncomfortable and eat poor quality food. The restroom situation when camping is often dreadful. I'll take the hotel route.

Even when planning for hurricanes, it's not good enough to just survive the storm; I'm looking to maintain the same quality of life as close to normal as I can. Typically this means normal lamps, partial aircon, proper meals, etc.
peace and quiet siting under the stars watching wild life etc etc i like primitive camping best but i cant cook over a fire to well but can with my solo stove campfire stove clone
 

Dr. Jones

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My idea of camping is staying at a Fairfield Inn / Courtyard by Marriott.

I don't understand traditional camping. Having to procure gear, lug the gear, set up the gear...all to be uncomfortable and eat poor quality food. The restroom situation when camping is often dreadful. I'll take the hotel route.

Even when planning for hurricanes, it's not good enough to just survive the storm; I'm looking to maintain the same quality of life as close to normal as I can. Typically this means normal lamps, partial aircon, proper meals, etc.
I can understand why camping for its own sake seems a rather impenetrable mystery for anyone who doesn't care for it, as it is indeed everything you mentioned in terms of inconvenience plus discomfort, and more. There has to be a payoff - what is it?

Well, like any activity, it's different things to different people. Some begin doing it as an activity when very young, often with Scouts or some similar organization, and continue on with it into adulthood because of the fun and camraderie they experienced, even when those elements might be diminished or missing altogether. Others might have been exposed to life in the elements during the course of their work and found that they enjoyed the solace of the wild, or because attaining a certain goal, such as, say, procuring an Incan idol or the occasional Ark, required them to travel and camp in desolate places which they came to love. There is much romance in traveling to and exploring the great outdoors, especially those environs where few other men have set foot, but one's heart has to be predisposed to it in some manner, I believe.
 
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Monocrom

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ive read the newer stoves use the heat fromn stove to keep cansiter warm not sure if mine does thou
Take the cold butane canister, shove it inside your coat to warm it up. Will definitely take longer than a couple of minutes. Also, buy multiple stoves that use different types of fuel. I've got an Army of stoves.... and can't remember the names of a single one of them. I collect lights but hoard stoves.
 

Dr. Jones

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peace and quiet siting under the stars watching wild life etc etc i like primitive camping best but i cant cook over a fire to well but can with my solo stove campfire stove clone
Cooking over an open fire takes a bit of skill, but if you can tie your shoes you can do it, if you can spare the time to practice a bit. An important consideration is that you don't cook over a fire with open flame, but over the bed of coals left after the fire has died down a bit. Also, I highly recommend this little setup; easy to pack and works very well:
Don't go by the picture with the big flames; he's a blacksmith, not a camper or adventurer, but he makes great stuff.
 
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TPA

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peace and quiet siting under the stars watching wild life etc etc i like primitive camping best but i cant cook over a fire to well but can with my solo stove campfire stove clone

This is my idea of that:

1710820621422.png


1710820640466.png


and yes, that's an active volcano. It used to erupt about every 90-180 minutes. The place is designed so that there's no light on that deck at night other than some low-level lights near the floor. Everyone sits on that deck, with just the glow of lava illuminating things. Heavenly.
 
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Last Saturday My Better 3/4s and I were invited to dinner and a fire by some friends.

We watched the color fade as we ate take-out Chicken Teriyaki on their patio.
IMG_5632.JPG


Then Mike made fire.
IMG_5635.JPG


Which My Better 3/4s thoroughly enjoyed.
IMG_5634.JPG


It's not what I'd call Winter Camping, but we did have a wonderful March evening. Their neighborhood has hardly any light pollution.
 

AstroTurf

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sween1911

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Nice! Awesome pics everyone!

I've done a couple winter overnighters and it's fun gathering around the fire, cooking and staying warm.

I'd like to take my son for a winter camp-out. Only one he's done so far was one we did in the summer a few years ago. It was HOT.

We watch the Outdoor Boys youtube channel though, and I think it's got him looking at when we can go camping again, so that'll be cool.
 

Christoph

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I used to always try and camp out over night on new years day ever since I was a scout. A lot of times it was in my back yard however after I became a scoutmaster I tried to schedule camp outs for the troop in January. Several years with the BSA we had winter camporees in January the coldest I have camped was 6F. I used a insulated pad and two moving blankets. the biggest issue for me was that my breath condensed on my beard and mustache and froze. The entire inside of the tent was coated with frost and so was the top of my blankets. Being prepared was the most important part of the experience. Not overheating was paramount.
 

TPA

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Thank you for the likes everyone. I should post where this is! It's the Arena Observatory Lodge in La Fortuna, Costa Rica. (https://www.arenalobservatorylodge.com/) The Lodge was originally built to house scientists from the Smithsonian who were studying the Arenal Volcano's frequent eruptions. When the scientists weren't using the place, the rooms were rented out to tourists. I was there a few times over the years, last in the 1990s. Much of it is the same, BUT, it's grown up quite a bit. The Lodge was quite basic back then. Electricity, (sometimes) running water, and that's it. Some of it's still the same though -- you still have to cross a river by SUV to get to the lodge.

Highly recommend to anyone who has the chance to go. I still treasure the conversations we had over the years on that back deck in the evenings. Most people drank, talked, and watched the lava flow down the side of the volcano -- God's Lava Lamp...and just as mesmerizing to watch for hours on end.

Arenallong.jpg
 

Dr. Jones

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Nice! Awesome pics everyone!

I've done a couple winter overnighters and it's fun gathering around the fire, cooking and staying warm.

I'd like to take my son for a winter camp-out. Only one he's done so far was one we did in the summer a few years ago. It was HOT.

We watch the Outdoor Boys youtube channel though, and I think it's got him looking at when we can go camping again, so that'll be cool.
The Outdoor Boys channel is excellent. If you can get your youngster watching Dave Canterbury, TA Outdoors or any of the similar "bushcraft" channels, he can learn a few skills that will stand him in good stead, providing he's old enough to handle edged tools responsibly.

Rather than a dead-of-winter camp, a late fall outing would give you cool weather without the harshness of extreme cold and might be a bit more encouraging for the young man; I've always considered "fifth season" camping to be prime, that season immediately after fall where the leaves have been off the trees for a while but it has yet to snow; here in the Northeast U.S. it's usually roughly mid-November to mid-December, or even later.
 

TPA

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I'll admit that I do watch quite a few of the YouTube camping channels. I like the "experience"...from the comfort of my properly climate-controlled hotel room/condo, wherever I happen to be watching it. Not having to set up/tear down camp? Priceless. But I honestly do enjoy watching them.
 
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